The popular “Kingdom” has been made into a long-awaited anime, but when it aired, it was lined with low evaluations such as “the drawings are terrible,”and etc. Have you seen the anime adaptation of “Kingdom”? In this article, we will compare the reasons for the bad reviews of the critically acclaimed anime “Kingdom” and the original Manga, and look into the reasons why it is said to be “terrible. Even if you have not read the original Manga, please take a look at it for reference.
Overview of “Kingdom”
Kingdom is a widely known historical drama Manga representing the Chinese Warring States period that has been serialized in “Weekly Young Jump” since 2006 and is still being serialized as of September 2020. Kingdom” won the 17th Osamu Tezuka Cultural Award and has been adapted into an animated television series since 2012. The TV anime “Kingdom” is currently in its fourth season.
The time is the 3rd century B.C., and the setting is ancient China at the end of the spring and autumn Warring States Period. Amid a domestic war, the main character Nobu was living day by day as a war orphan in the great Chinese nation of “Qin”. Although he was of the lowest rank, he struggled daily along with his drifters, dreaming of one day becoming a great general who would rule over the whole country. One day, Nobu met Masa, the 31st great king of the Qin Dynasty. This encounter changed the course of Nobu’s life.
Collapse of Drawings
Let’s take a look at the reasons why the “Kingdom” anime is regarded as “terrible” one by one. The first reason for the “terrible” rating has to do with the artwork. Many readers had high expectations for the anime “Kingdom” because the original Manga had become very popular. However, as soon as the anime started airing, there were many comments such as “the drawings are terrible” and falling apart.
If you have seen the TV anime, you may have understood what I mean. It is mainly in the second season of the TV anime that the drawings seem to have collapsed. The first season of the anime also had its share of complaints about the drawings, but it was the second season that was particularly “terrible. The second anime season’s drawings are said to be mainly wrong with the characters’ faces, with parts such as eyes and noses being “terrible” and receiving bad reviews.
Compared to the character designs, the drawings of the faces were very different, with evaluations such as “not like the Manga” and “the noses are too big. Some people who were bothered by the bad drawings also said that they could not concentrate on the story. In addition, as to the facial expressions, many fans of the original Manga commented that they were “disappointed with the terrible drawings” because of the uncomfortable drawings in some important parts.
CG animation
The next reason for the “terrible” comment was the CG animation. The first season of the “Kingdom” anime was produced as a 3DCG anime. Anime fans are accustomed to seeing so-called hand-drawn, two-dimensional animation, so 3DCG animation makes them feel uncomfortable. In addition, while foreign animations such as Pixar are accepted, many people are particular about the expression that only hand-drawing can produce for domestic animations. This is why the first season of the “Kingdom” anime became unpopular because the “Kingdom” anime that they were looking forward to was produced in 3DCG, which they were not familiar with, and because the story of “Kingdom” is suitable for an anime with hand-drawn, two-dimensional pictures. In addition, many people who had read the Manga were uncomfortable with the “slimy” movements of the 3DCG, as evidenced by their impressions.
Some viewers who abandoned the show after the first season have started watching the second season. However, while some people said that the drawings had returned to normal and “the drawings were beautiful,” some anime fans said that the drawings were “broken” and “the drawings were terrible.
Expectations were high for the anime
Another reason given by many is that they “expected too much from the anime adaptation. Kingdom” has attracted deep interest and support from fans of the Chinese Warring States period as well as regular Manga fans since the Manga was first serialized. As the story progressed, it gained more and more fans as it developed, and was so popular that a certain variety show even featured a roundtable discussion with celebrities who liked “Kingdom. Therefore, when the decision was made to make an animated TV series, there was much anticipation and interest, especially from fans of the original story. However, when the anime was broadcast, many people said it was “disappointing” due to the unfamiliar 3DCG production, etc. Although the second season was rated higher than the first season, the second season’s drawings were also said to be terrible. From this perspective, it can be said that the low evaluation of the “Kingdom” anime is due to the high expectations of the fans of the original work.
Animation production companies for the first and second seasons
The production company for the first and second seasons of the “Kingdom” anime, which has been praised for its “terrible drawings” and “terrible 3DCG”? The production company for both the first and second seasons is PIERO. Speaking of PIERO, they have also produced the TV anime “Gakko no Kaidan”, “Naruto”, and “Tokyo Ghouls”: Tokyo Ghouls, all of which are highly acclaimed works.
The first season of “Kingdom” was directed by Jun Kamiya and the series was composed by Toshihisa Arakawa. The first season of the “Kingdom” anime shows that the production of 3DCG, which had never been done before, was sometimes quite confusing. The second season of “Kingdom” is directed by Akira Iwanaga and the series composition is by Toshihisa Arakawa, who has continued from the first season. The second season of “Kingdom” has a different style from the first season and seems to be more confusing.
Animation Production Company for the Third Season
On the other hand, unlike the first and second seasons of “Kingdom,” the production of the highly acclaimed third season was handled by Studio Signpost in addition to PIERO. Studio Signpost became a member of the Piero group in 2008 and has participated in the production of TV anime such as “Grouchy Mononokean” and “Toaru Kagaku no One-way Street” as a production partner.
The director is Kenichi Imaizumi, who directed the anime “Kyokuro no Brünnhilde” and “Student Council no Issho Lv.2”, and the series composition is by Kenichi Imaizumi, who also directed the anime Baccano, Durarara and Golden Kamuy. The third season of “Kingdom” will be produced with a new director, series composition, and other staff members, taking advantage of the low evaluation and reflection on the previous seasons, and the drawings will show a different style from the previous seasons.
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